A seaplane like this will operate a trial service from the Kochi International Marina, located next to Bolghatty Palace, to the Mattupetty dam in Munnar on Monday.
Blessed with ample number of waterbodies and the Centre sponsoring the fare for nine seats in seaplanes for a three-year period, Kerala has immense potential to woo high-budget tourists if these amphibious aircraft link tourism locales in the State, Biju Prabhakar, Aviation Secretary and Chairman of KSEB, said here on Saturday.
The State could even compete with the Maldives where over 100 seaplanes link tourism locales within that country. Apart from tourists, these aircraft could even be deployed to transport critically ill patients from remote places , he told mediapersons while announcing the details of a trial seaplane service.
It would take off from the backwaters near the Kochi International Marina, located next to the KTDC-run Bolghatty Palace and Island Resort here, to the Mattupetty dam in Munnar on Monday morning. The 20-minute trip would be flagged-off by Minister for Public Works and Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas.
To a question on seaplane services not taking off in Kerala despite being launched twice in the past decade, Mr. Prabhakar said this could be due to inadequate government support back then. By relying on seaplanes that needed clearance of less than a km for landing and take off, the government could save on the approximately ₹100 crore needed to build an airstrip. This would also lessen reliance on road trave.
“The trial run is aimed at demonstrating to tour operators and the public the potential of seaplanes in Kerala, as part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, which will come in handy to augment connectivity between airports and waterbodies in Kerala,” he said.
Apart from Bolgatty and Mattupetty, the government was planning to construct waterdromes at Kovalam, Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Vembanad, Malampuzha, and Bekal to host seaplanes, he said.
A seaplane that can carry nine people will touch down near the marina at around 2.30 p.m. on Sunday.
A total of 15 agencies, including Indian Navy, Cochin Port Trust, Cochin International Airport Ltd, Hydrographic Survey Wing, and the KTDC, are coordinating the trial run. The depth of waterbodies and water flow during high and low tides were monitored during the past month, to ensure safe landing of seaplanes.
Published – November 09, 2024 08:31 pm IST